Cheek biting is indeed a self-destructive habit that can be done accidentally or intentionally and is classified as a behavioral health condition if it affects your enjoyment of living or causes major harm or pain. ‘Cheek biting seems rather prevalent, particularly in urban areas like London, wherein stress levels are higher,’ explains Dr. Marques. ‘Serious cheek biting as well as habitual cheeks biting, on the other hand, is more uncommon.’
Cheek biting comes in a variety of forms.
The following are the 5 most common kinds involving cheek biting:
- Biting the inside of the cheek from time to time. However a canker sore may arise, the infrequent, unintentional cheek biting is not a matter for alarm.
- Biting the inside of the cheek regularly. If frequently bite down upon your cheeks extra frequently than you’d like, it’s possible that your teeth are out of line or that something is incorrect with one’s jaw. One dentist could help you with this issue CoinJoin and may be able to provide you with an orthodontic remedy, including such braces.
- While sleeping, I bit my cheek. This inadvertent tendency can be corrected with a softer guard provided by your dentist, which avoids direct tooth-to-cheek contact.
- Biting the inside of the cheeks regularly. This semiconscious behavior could be substituted by lesser harmful conduct as a routine.
- BFRD. This is a case of compulsive cheek biting which persists despite repeated efforts to stop.
What prompts you to bite your cheeks?
There doesn’t appear to be a single explanation for recurrent cheek biting among people with BFRD. The following are several of the possible reasons for this behavior:
- a subconscious response to boredom and idleness
- a subconscious response to stress
- a buffering mechanism for the emotional stress that is only partially conscious
Chronic cheek biting as well as chewing was compulsive and might even feel nearly usual to the individual biting as well as chewing the interior of their cheek, even though it is self-injurious.
What were the risks of biting your cheeks?
The principal result of repeatedly biting one inside of one’s cheek is harm to delicate mouth tissue. More serious injuries, such as oral sores as well as ulcers, might result from this damage.
Certain cheek biters possess a “preferred” part of the inside cheek, which they use to focus their biting as well as chewing. A rough and rugged area of skin may occur as a consequence of this. The fractured skin may cause an additional compulsion attempt to smooth that injured area, resulting in a cycle for an injury that continues or worsens.
Oral cancer plus cheek biting
According to a 2017 research
Reliable CMI is indeed not capable of causing oral cancer, according to the origin of chronic mechanical irritants (CMI) from teeth. CMI, on the other hand, can encourage as well as accelerate oral carcinogenesis assuming cancer is established from another source.
Cheek biting’s psychological effects
Compulsive cheeks biters frequently experience emotions of guilt as well as humiliation as a result of their self-destructive BFRB. This could create a sense of helplessness. They would often go to considerable lengths to prevent others from witnessing the conduct, which may restrict their social activities and interactions.
Wisdom teeth plus cheek biting
Wisdom teeth could irritate or even tear the inner membranes surrounding your face when they grow through. This is more commonly connected with ordinary, unintentional cheek bites than severe BFRB cheek chewing.
Can biting your cheeks promote oral cancer?
Although there is some evidence linking oral sores towards mouth cancer, this is inconclusive and unrelated to cheek biting. Long-term sores, such as those found in chronic cheek-biters, were cited either by NHS as a possible source underlying oral cancer because they develop ulcers with wounds just on the tongue.
‘Deep and frequent cheek biting has been the most harmful,’ says Dr. Marques, ‘because it could cause difficulties inside the buccal mucosal, which could contribute to an elevated chance from oral cancer owing to alterations inside the cheek tissues, which could eventually progress to alterations within the cells.’
How to Quit Biting Your Cheeks
Contact your dentist whenever you suffer from frequent unintentional cheek bites. This basic reason can most likely be treated with dental equipment including, in certain situations, surgery.
Whenever you bite your cheeks regularly, your treatment might be more difficult. The very first stage is to evaluate whether the activity is compulsive or habitual.
Light instruction, self-discipline, plus patience could often be used to treat habitual cheek biting. Several people have found success using the following techniques:
- Chewing gum should substitute cheek chewing – sugarless gum being recommended by your dentist.
- Whenever you sense the temptation to chew upon your cheek, take a few deep breaths,
- discover the factors that cause the behavior to set in, and afterward replace the cheek biting using another activity.
The condition of obsessive BFRB cheek biting as well as chewing is particularly difficult to treat. Treatment for recurrent cheek biting must concentrate on emotional as well as behavioral components, as per TLC Association for Body-Focused Repeated Behaviors. The following are some of the steps which have been suggested:
- reducing levels of stress
- delivering anxiety-relieving treatments
- eliminating the triggers which cause the behavior to occur
- hypnosis.
- Anxiety relief with meditation
- Mindfulness training can help you become more attentive.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, addiction reversal treatment, and accepting and commitment therapy are examples of talk therapy.
What drives you to bite your lips?
Lip biting is commonly associated with stress as well as anxiety. However, there has been some indication that people with BFRBs, including such lip biting, might possess a biological predisposition towards them. Other elements that could contribute to the development of a BFRB encompass:
- Age. The majority of BFRBs appear among the aged between 11 and 15.
- Sex. BFRBs were more common in women than in men.
Temperament plus environment could both influence the development of BFRBs.
Usually, BFRBs, as per TLC Center for Body-Focused Repeated Behaviors, aren’t caused by trauma or even other underlying psychological concerns.
Persistent lip biting is sometimes unintentional and the consequence of tooth disease. These are some of them:
Malocclusion
A malocclusion seems to be a situation wherein your teeth are not aligned properly. You may bite your lower lip as a result of this.
TMJ (temporomandibular joint) dysfunction
TMJ problem is indeed a term used to describe a range of problems that cause pain as well as dysfunction inside the TMJ joint. The connection that links your bottom jaw with your brain is called the temporomandibular joint. This can cause individuals to bite their lower lip unintentionally.
Conclusion
I hope you could find what you were looking for. If you need any more assistance from me, do write to me on odental20@gmail.com